Page 15 of Jewel of the Sea

“You really are magnificent,” she said, unable to keep the awe from her voice.

Arkon lifted a hand slowly and brushed the back of a finger along her jaw, calling her eyes back to his. “You are even more beautiful than I remember.”

Aymee smiled. The combination of his words and touch made her breath shallow. She couldn’t believe he was here in front of her.

In full view.

She dropped her hand and stepped back, smile fading.

His brow furrowed, and he tilted his head. “I’ve said something wrong.”

“No. It’s just…” She shook her head and laughed humorlessly. “Ofcourseyou’d reveal yourself for our last exchange.”

“I… Last? What do you mean, last exchange?”

“There are humans in The Watch who are looking for you. For the kraken.”

“How does that differ from the last three months? We’ve seen the fishermen watching the water.”

“These people areHunters, Arkon. They’re from a place farther inland called Fort Culver. Seven of them arrived the evening of our last exchange and called a meeting in town. Their leader approached me today, asking me questions about Jax and your people.”

He moved closer, eliminating some of the distance she’d opened in her retreat. “My people are hunters, too, Aymee. And no one here knows anything about us that could endanger our wellbeing. Unless they have technology like Macy’s suit, we are beyond their reach.”

She placed her hand on his chest. His heart — hearts, for surely there were more than one — thumped beneath her palm. “But you’re not. Every time you come here you put yourself at risk.”

Arkon stared down at her hand before hesitantly covering it with his own. “I’m beginning to realize that life has little meaning without risks.”

Determination and vulnerability filled his eyes.

“Why did you wait so long to show yourself to me?” She curled her fingers slightly beneath his hand.

“Because I didn’t know what to say to you, or what you thought of me. I was…out of sorts when we first met.”

“What I thought?” Aymee’s brows furrowed. “I was fascinated by you. I thought that was clear.”

“And I was stunned by you, so I stammered like a fool. I’m not… Interactions like this aren’t something I am particularly skilled at. My experience with humans is understandably limited, so I couldn’t be certain of how to interpret the way you acted toward me. I…I'm rambling now.”

Aymee’s grin widened with each word he spoke. “I find your rambling endearing.” She rubbed her finger over his skin. “I watched you, you know.”

His hand twitched, and his skin warmed under her palm. “You watched me?”

“After I leave the beach, I hide in the jungle along the clifftop and wait for you to retrieve the canister.” She continued the motion of her finger, intrigued by the soft texture of his skin and the comforting strength of his hand.

“I’ve always watched you drop it off, but I never thought you’d wait to see me, afterward.” Tentatively, he raised a tentacle and lightly brushed its tip over her wrist.

She watched, fascinated by the limb. It was long and thick, its lighter-colored underside lined with suction cups that lightly kissed her skin. Her heart pounded in her chest, and something powerful stirred low in her belly.

What did that say about her? This was only her second meeting with Arkon, and she was more aroused than she’d ever been with a human man. Was it the allure of the unknown? Had the details Macy relayed sparked a curiosity in Aymee that demanded to be sated?

Was there something wrong with her?

But how could she view this as shameful, unnatural, abhorrent? She didn’t see it that way with Jax and Macy.

This didn’tfeelwrong. Not to Aymee.

“I wanted to see you.” She slipped her hand from beneath his and brushed her palm over his suction cups.

Arkon’s fingers trembled, and he released a shaky breath before shifting back, withdrawing his tentacle from her touch. “This is…I…”

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